growth playbook · Nov 9, 2026

Atari growth playbook

Atari just had its best year in a decade (€56 million revenue, +66%) by releasing around 30 games and buying studios, and its 17 open roles show where it goes next: short-session arcade games for Reddit, MSN and new channels, a mobile line built around Crossy Road's maker Hipster Whale, more PC and console launches, consoles and collectibles, and a commercial team for pricing, discounting and bundles.

The weak point is the direct store: atari.com's Trustpilot page is unclaimed, scores 2.2 from only 39 reviews, and is mostly about missing items, wrong editions and refunds, while the Atari Club's own numbers show members buy four times a year.

This playbook fixes the store's public reputation and order communication first, cleans up the old mobile listings, then connects the new platform games, Steam catalogue and Club into one loop, with bigger bets on a classics app, licensing and a retro data report.

Growth Score

Biggest Opportunity

Turn the many places people meet Atari (Steam, Reddit and MSN games, Crossy Road, MobyGames, hardware) into Atari Club members who buy direct, because Club redeemers spend roughly three times more over their lifetime.

Biggest Risk

The direct store's reputation for missing and wrong orders, now public on an unclaimed review page, can undo the gains from a growing release slate and new hardware.

Start here

The three moves to make first. Each one is written up in full below.

Claim Atari's unclaimed Trustpilot page, answer the order complaints, and invite every delivered atari.com order to review
Claim the Trustpilot profile and reply to the ten most recent reviews.
High impact First result in 2 weeks
Send an order-status email at every step, and show a ship date on every preorder and hardware page
List every product currently on preorder with its real expected ship month.
High impact First result in 1 month
Give Atari Club points for buying direct on atari.com, with double points on preorders
Check the current points rules and switch on points per dollar spent.
High impact First result in 1 month

Your idea portfolio

23 ideas, grouped by when to run them. Open any idea for how to run it: the steps, who to approach, copy you can use, and how to measure it.

8 ideas are marked Unexpected: plays you are unlikely to have tried.

This week 5

Quick wins with a clear first action.

Atari's Trustpilot page shows a TrustScore of 2.2 from just 39 reviews, 77% of them 1-star. Trustpilot itself notes the profile is unclaimed, that Atari has not invited customers to review, and no replies from Atari are shown. The recent complaints are fixable order problems: missing items in an order, wrong editions of physical Switch games, refunds and customs duties. Meanwhile the store's real customers are loyal: Atari Club reward redeemers average 4 orders a year and 75.5% buy again. A few dozen unhappy buyers are speaking for a store that thousands of repeat customers use.
High impactLow effort First result in 2 weeks Head of E commerce
First action
Claim the Trustpilot profile and reply to the ten most recent reviews.
How to measure it
TrustScore with 300+ reviews
Now
–
Target
4.0
By
6 months
Steps
Claim the profile
Verify atari.com on Trustpilot and add the support contact.
Head of E-commerce 1 day
Reply to every review
Public replies with a concrete fix for each review from the last 12 months; resolve the open orders privately.
Customer Support Lead 3 days
Tag the causes
Group complaints into missing items, wrong edition, late delivery, refunds and duties.
Customer Support Lead 1 day
Automate invites
Send a review invite to every delivered order a few days after delivery through the store's email tool.
CRM Manager 1 week
Fix the top cause
Start with split shipments and edition picking, the most common complaints.
Head of E-commerce 4 weeks
Reply within 48 hours
A standing rule for all new reviews.
Customer Support Lead ongoing
Show the rating
Add the score to product and preorder pages once it passes 4.0.
Head of E-commerce 1 day
First result
2 weeks
Cost
Trustpilot's free plan and support time; a paid plan only if automation needs it
Owner
Head of E commerce
Smallest test
Claim the profile, reply to all 17 reviews from the last year, and invite one week of delivered orders.
Why it works
Ready to use
CopyPublic reply to an order complaint
Risks and how to handle them
Evidence
Most recent 1-star reviews are about not knowing where an order is: a hardware order that arrived without its Gamestation Go and gamepad, orders never received, preorders that shipped the wrong edition. Analogue, selling to the same retro buyer, puts a plain status on every product: "Shipping Now", "Ship in 24-48 hours", "Ships Dec 2026".
High impactMedium effort First result in 1 month Head of E commerce
First action
List every product currently on preorder with its real expected ship month.
How to measure it
Where-is-my-order contacts per 100 orders
Now
–
Target
-40%
By
90 days
Steps
Audit preorders
Every preorder and hardware item with its true ship month.
Head of E-commerce 2 days
Add ship-date lines
One line per product page, kept current.
Head of E-commerce 3 days
Build the email flow
Confirmed, monthly preorder update, shipped, partial shipment.
CRM Manager 1 week
Flag split orders
Trigger the partial-shipment email from the fulfilment system.
Operations Manager 1 week
Order lookup page
Self-serve status by order number and email.
Head of E-commerce 1 week
Measure contacts
Status contacts per 100 orders, before and after.
Customer Support Lead monthly
First result
1 month
Cost
Staff time on the existing store and email tools
Owner
Head of E commerce
Smallest test
Add a ship date and a monthly update email to the single biggest current preorder.
Why it works
Risks and how to handle them
Evidence
Breakout: Boost is still listed under Atari with 4.4 stars from about 3,500 ratings, but its last update was January 14, 2016, it targets iOS 8, and it still sells $0.99 to $1.99 level packs. At the same time Atari is hiring a Senior Mobile Producer to manage Apple and Google submissions for "a growing Atari Mobile portfolio", and owns Hipster Whale, the maker of Crossy Road. A ten-year-old app is the first impression of Atari's arcade classics on iPhone.
Medium impactLow effort First result in 2 weeks Senior Mobile Producer
First action
Install the app on a current iPhone and check that it and its paid packs work.
How to measure it
Share of live Atari apps updated within a year
Now
–
Target
100%
By
90 days
Steps
Test the app
Current iPhone and iPad, including the paid packs.
Senior Mobile Producer 1 day
Pull the numbers
Downloads, revenue and reviews for the last year.
Sr. Analytics Manager, Commercialization 2 days
Decide
Refresh, fold into a new app, or remove from sale.
Senior Mobile Producer 1 day
Refresh the listing
New screenshots, description and Atari Club link if it stays.
Senior Mobile Producer 1 week
Audit the rest
Every older Atari app on both stores.
Senior Mobile Producer 1 week
Plan the hand-off
Tell current players where the next Atari arcade game is.
Senior Producer, Hipster Whale 2 weeks
First result
2 weeks
Cost
Producer and engineering time
Owner
Senior Mobile Producer
Smallest test
Check this week whether the app and its paid packs still work on current iOS.
Why it works
Risks and how to handle them
Evidence
The new platform-games producer must "Own KPIs (games live, revenue/daily player, engagement)" and report weekly, while the commercial analytics hire is asked to reconcile sales data against "platform ground truth" and record an expected outcome for every decision. Without one shared scorecard from week one, each new channel will report differently.
Medium impactLow effort First result in 2 weeks Game Producer
First action
Agree the five metrics and their definitions with the commercial team.
How to measure it
Platform titles on the scorecard
Now
–
Target
100%
By
30 days
Steps
Agree metrics
Five metrics with written definitions.
Game Producer, Platform Games 2 days
Map data sources
What each platform reports and how often.
Sr. Analytics Manager, Commercialization 3 days
Build the sheet
One row per title per channel.
Sr. Analytics Manager, Commercialization 1 week
Record expectations
Expected revenue per daily player at launch.
Game Producer, Platform Games per launch
Weekly review
Keep, fix or retire each title.
Game Producer, Platform Games weekly
Reconcile
Against platform payouts.
Sr. Analytics Manager, Commercialization monthly
First result
2 weeks
Cost
Staff time only
Owner
Game Producer, Platform Games
Smallest test
Score the first live title for four weeks.
Why it works
Risks and how to handle them
Evidence
Most Club points today come from linking platforms, streams, MobyGames and quests, yet the Club's value shows up in the store: redeemers buy 4 times a year, spend $150 per order and 75.5% buy again. Atari's physical editions and hardware are also sold by big retailers, so the direct store needs its own reason to win the order.
High impactLow effort First result in 1 month CRM Manager
First action
Check the current points rules and switch on points per dollar spent.
How to measure it
Club share of atari.com orders
Now
–
Target
+10 points
By
90 days
Steps
Set the rules
Points per dollar, double on preorders.
CRM Manager 1 day
Check margins
Reward cost at expected redemption.
Sr. Analytics Manager, Commercialization 2 days
Show points
On product pages and the cart.
Head of E-commerce 3 days
Delivery bonus
Points when the order arrives, with a review invite.
CRM Manager 3 days
Announce
Email and the Club Discord.
Community Manager 1 day
Measure
Repeat rate and Club share of orders.
Sr. Analytics Manager, Commercialization monthly
First result
1 month
Cost
Reward cost, typically a few percent of order value
Owner
CRM Manager
Smallest test
Double points on one upcoming preorder.
Why it works
Risks and how to handle them
Evidence

This quarter 11

The core plays for the next three months.

Customs duties are one of the complaints on Atari's review page, and refunds come up repeatedly. A buyer who pays an unexpected charge on delivery, or refuses the parcel, becomes a refund and a 1-star review. The store itself is fast (real visitors pass Core Web Vitals), so the friction is in the price, not the page.
Medium impactMedium effort First result in 1 month Head of E commerce
First action
Pull last year's orders, refused parcels and refunds by destination country.
How to measure it
Duty-related refunds per 100 international orders
Now
–
Target
-50%
By
2 quarters
Steps
Size the problem
International orders, refusals and duty refunds by country.
Operations Manager 2 days
Pick markets
The countries with the most orders and refusals.
Head of E-commerce 1 day
Show estimates
Duties and taxes on product and cart pages for those markets.
Head of E-commerce 2 weeks
Test duties-paid
Duties-paid delivery in the largest market.
Operations Manager 1 month
Add shipping notes
Per-country notes on hardware and collector's editions.
Head of E-commerce 2 days
Track the reason
Duty-related refunds as their own support tag.
Customer Support Lead monthly
First result
1 month
Cost
A duties-calculation app or carrier option plus setup time
Owner
Head of E commerce
Smallest test
Show a duties estimate in the single largest international market for a month.
Why it works
Risks and how to handle them
Builds on
Evidence
Atari is rebuilding its classic arcade catalogue as short-session games for Reddit and MSN, where millions of casual players will meet Atari without ever visiting atari.com. The Atari Club already gives points for linking Steam, Xbox and Twitch, and its redeemers are worth $456 over their lifetime against $144 for non-members.
High impactMedium effort First result in 1 quarter Game Producer
First action
Check what each platform's rules allow for outbound links and account linking.
How to measure it
Club sign-ups per 1,000 daily players
Now
–
Target
5
By
2 quarters
Steps
Check platform rules
Outbound links and account linking on Reddit and MSN.
Game Producer, Platform Games 1 week
Design the moment
End screen, quest and badge.
Asset Designer, Platform Games 1 week
Create the quest
Points for playing three classics in a week.
Community Manager 1 week
Welcome reward
A first-order reward on atari.com.
CRM Manager 3 days
Ship in one game
Start with the best-performing title.
Game Producer, Platform Games 2 weeks
Measure and roll out
Sign-ups and first orders by game and channel.
Sr. Analytics Manager, Commercialization monthly
First result
1 quarter
Cost
Design and producer time; rewards cost
Owner
Game Producer, Platform Games
Smallest test
Add a Club end screen to one game for a month.
Why it works
Risks and how to handle them
Evidence
Atari has 204 titles on Steam and releases arrive every few weeks (Godzilla on November 3, two Toy Story titles in October, Thief remaster on pre-purchase), yet its Steam publisher page has only 24,368 followers. Followers are notified of each new release, so each launch could be growing the audience for the next one.
Medium impactLow effort First result in 1 month Publishing Producer
First action
Add the follow link to the Godzilla and Thief store pages.
How to measure it
Publisher page followers
Now
–
Target
50,000
By
2 quarters
Steps
Add the call
Follow link in every Atari store page description.
Publishing Producer 1 week
Curate lists
Franchise lists on the publisher page.
Publishing Producer 1 week
End cards
Follow prompt on launch trailers.
Asset Designer, Platform Games per launch
Club quest
Points for following the page.
Community Manager 3 days
Announce in Discord
In the 25,000-member Club server.
Community Manager 1 day
Track
Followers and wishlists per launch.
Sr. Analytics Manager, Commercialization monthly
First result
1 month
Cost
Staff time only
Owner
Publishing Producer
Smallest test
Add the follow link to one launch and compare follower growth with the last launch.
Why it works
Risks and how to handle them
Evidence
On Atari's Steam listing, many older titles sit at 80-90% off (Turok, Turok 2, Forsaken Remastered, Strife, Surgeon Simulator), and even 2025 releases such as Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection are 60% off. The new commercial analytics hire owns "pricing, discounting, regional performance, and lifecycle dynamics". Deep, frequent discounts teach buyers to wait.
High impactMedium effort First result in 1 quarter Sr. Analytics Manager
First action
Pick 20 matched back-catalogue titles and split them into test and control.
How to measure it
Back-catalogue revenue per title versus control
Now
–
Target
+10%
By
2 quarters
Steps
Pull history
Units and revenue by discount depth for two years.
Sr. Analytics Manager, Commercialization 1 week
Match titles
Test and control groups by age, genre and reviews.
Sr. Analytics Manager, Commercialization 3 days
Write expectations
Expected revenue for each group.
Director of Commercial 1 day
Run the test
Discount cap for one quarter.
Publishing Producer 1 quarter
Compare
Revenue, units and wishlist conversion.
Sr. Analytics Manager, Commercialization 1 week
Set the calendar
Discount rules by title age and reviews.
Director of Commercial 1 week
First result
1 quarter
Cost
Analyst time; possible short-term unit dip
Owner
Sr. Analytics Manager, Commercialization
Smallest test
Cap discounts on five titles for one sale event.
Why it works
Risks and how to handle them
Builds on
Evidence
Atari's Steam catalogue lists Turok, Turok 2 and Turok 3 separately, the same for three System Shock entries, three SiN entries and four RollerCoaster Tycoon editions. The commercial team is asked to build cases for "bundle strategies", and the Publishing Producer is launching "a large number of small titles" each year.
Medium impactLow effort First result in 1 month Director of Commercial
First action
List every franchise with two or more Atari titles on Steam.
How to measure it
Revenue from franchise bundles
Now
–
Target
10% of back-catalogue revenue
By
2 quarters
Steps
List franchises
Every series with two or more titles.
Sr. Analytics Manager, Commercialization 1 day
Check rights
Bundling rights for partner-owned IP.
Publishing Producer 1 week
Price the bundles
Complete-the-set pricing.
Director of Commercial 2 days
Create art
Bundle capsules and banners.
Asset Designer, Platform Games 1 week
Publish
On Steam, then consoles where possible.
Publishing Producer 1 week
Review
Revenue and buyers who complete a set.
Sr. Analytics Manager, Commercialization monthly
First result
1 month
Cost
Staff time only
Owner
Director of Commercial
Smallest test
Launch the Turok trilogy bundle first.
Why it works
Risks and how to handle them
Evidence
The commercial analytics role is defined around per-game platform data (pricing, discounting, regional performance) and reconciling sales against "platform ground truth". But Atari also runs its own Shopify store and a Club whose redeemers place 4 orders a year, and that direct data shows which franchises fans buy merchandise, hardware and physical editions for.
Medium impactMedium effort First result in 1 quarter Sr. Analytics Manager
First action
Export 12 months of store orders tagged by franchise.
How to measure it
Physical and hardware decisions with direct data attached
Now
–
Target
100%
By
2 quarters
Steps
Export orders
Store orders by product and franchise.
Head of E-commerce 2 days
Tag products
Map every product to a franchise.
Head of E-commerce 1 week
Join Club data
Linked platforms and points activity.
CRM Manager 1 week
Build the view
One commercial view across platforms and direct.
Sr. Analytics Manager, Commercialization 3 weeks
Use in decisions
Physical runs, hardware and licensing cases.
Director of Commercial ongoing
Reconcile
Against Shopify payouts monthly.
Sr. Analytics Manager, Commercialization monthly
First result
1 quarter
Cost
Analyst time
Owner
Sr. Analytics Manager, Commercialization
Smallest test
Compare direct sales by franchise with Steam sales for the top 10 franchises.
Why it works
Risks and how to handle them
Builds on
Evidence
The Publishing Producer will "manage external localization teams for store pages" for a large number of small PC and console titles, while the commercial analytics hire owns "regional performance". With 204 titles on Steam, deciding which store pages to localize first is a data question.
Medium impactMedium effort First result in 1 quarter Publishing Producer
First action
Pull sales and wishlists by country for the top 30 titles.
How to measure it
Visit-to-purchase rate on localized pages
Now
–
Target
+15%
By
2 quarters
Steps
Pull regional data
Sales and wishlists by country for the top 30 titles.
Sr. Analytics Manager, Commercialization 1 week
Rank languages
Top languages per title.
Sr. Analytics Manager, Commercialization 2 days
Brief vendors
Store page text and trailer subtitles.
Publishing Producer 1 week
Localize
First 10 titles.
Publishing Producer 1 month
Publish
On Steam and console stores.
Publishing Producer 1 week
Compare
Conversion by language before and after.
Sr. Analytics Manager, Commercialization monthly
First result
1 quarter
Cost
Localization vendor costs per page
Owner
Publishing Producer
Smallest test
Localize three store pages into the top non-English language and compare.
Why it works
Risks and how to handle them
Evidence
Implicit Conversions, Atari's emulation studio, is hiring engineers to "bring classic games to life on modern hardware" and "patch out bugs, replace media, add achievements/trophies". Those improvements are the answer to the question every retro buyer asks ("why pay again for a game I own?"), but they are easy to bury in a store description.
Medium impactLow effort First result in 1 month Publishing Producer
First action
Write the "what's new" block for the next re-release.
How to measure it
Visit-to-purchase rate on re-releases
Now
–
Target
+10%
By
2 quarters
Steps
Collect the changes
A standard change list from each project.
Senior Generalist Engineer, Implicit Conversions per release
Write the block
Five lines at the top of the store page.
Publishing Producer 1 day
Add art
Before and after screenshots.
Asset Designer, Platform Games 2 days
Club quest
Points for earning new achievements.
Community Manager 3 days
Engineering video
For the bigger releases.
Publishing Producer per release
Measure
Conversion against earlier re-releases.
Sr. Analytics Manager, Commercialization monthly
First result
1 month
Cost
Staff time only
Owner
Publishing Producer
Smallest test
Add the block to one current re-release page and compare conversion.
Why it works
Risks and how to handle them
Evidence
Atari owns MobyGames and AtariAge, and MobyGames contributions (reviews, scores, credits) already earn Atari Club points. These are the most knowledgeable retro players on the internet, and Atari releases a steady flow of remasters and re-releases that need early, credible reviews.
Medium impactLow effort First result in 1 month Community Manager
First action
Count active MobyGames contributors who are also Club members.
How to measure it
First-week Steam reviews per re-release
Now
–
Target
2x
By
2 quarters
Steps
Find contributors
Active MobyGames contributors who are Club members.
Community Manager 1 week
Write the rules
Opt-in, honest reviews, disclosure.
Community Manager 2 days
Invite
First 200 members.
Community Manager 1 week
Send keys
Before each re-release.
Publishing Producer per release
Reward
Points and a badge.
CRM Manager per release
Measure
First-week reviews and score.
Sr. Analytics Manager, Commercialization per release
First result
1 month
Cost
Keys and points
Owner
Community Manager
Smallest test
Run it for the next re-release with 50 contributors.
Why it works
Risks and how to handle them
Evidence
The numbered Woodgrain Super Pocket Atari Edition (2,600 units) could only be redeemed with Club points, and redemptions started in its first week. Atari is now hiring an Industrial Designer for "consoles, controllers, and collectibles", and hardware revenue grew 82.7% last year.
High impactMedium effort First result in 1 quarter Industrial Designer
First action
Pick the next collectible and its points price.
How to measure it
Monthly active point earners
Now
–
Target
+30%
By
2 quarters
Steps
Pick the item
One collectible per quarter.
Industrial Designer 2 weeks
Cost the run
Unit cost at small volume.
Operations Manager 1 week
Set the price
Points price that takes a few months to earn.
CRM Manager 2 days
Announce early
A quarter ahead in email and Discord.
Community Manager 1 day
Produce
Numbered small run.
Industrial Designer 1 quarter
Measure
Point earning and orders from members.
Sr. Analytics Manager, Commercialization monthly
First result
1 quarter
Cost
Small production runs
Owner
Industrial Designer
Smallest test
Announce one points-only item and track point earning for a month.
Why it works
Risks and how to handle them
Builds on
Evidence
Hardware revenue grew 82.7% to €7.3 million, and hardware buyers are the ones writing about missing consoles and gamepads on the review page. A hardware buyer is the most valuable new customer: Club redeemers place 4 orders a year against 1.1 for everyone else.
Medium impactLow effort First result in 1 month CRM Manager
First action
Write the setup email for the best-selling device.
How to measure it
Hardware buyers with a second order in 90 days
Now
–
Target
+25%
By
2 quarters
Steps
Map devices
Compatible games and accessories per device.
Head of E-commerce 3 days
Write emails
Setup, games, Club, review.
CRM Manager 1 week
Trigger on delivery
Start the flow when the order arrives.
CRM Manager 2 days
Support shortcut
One-click help for setup issues.
Customer Support Lead 2 days
Launch
For all hardware orders.
CRM Manager 1 day
Measure
Second orders and support contacts.
Sr. Analytics Manager, Commercialization monthly
First result
1 month
Cost
Staff time on the existing email tool
Owner
CRM Manager
Smallest test
Run the flow for one device for a month.
Why it works
Risks and how to handle them
Builds on
Evidence

Big bets 3

Larger plays that can change the trajectory.

Atari's best-known franchises are Asteroids, Centipede, Missile Command and Pong, yet the only Atari arcade apps on the App Store listing are a 2016 Breakout and Missile Command: Recharged. Atari now owns the team behind Crossy Road (340 million+ downloads) and is hiring mobile producers and a mobile UX designer for arcade-style games.
High impactHigh effort First result in 2 quarters Senior Producer
First action
Write a one-page concept with the first five games and the monetization model.
How to measure it
Monthly active players
Now
–
Target
500,000
By
6 months after launch
Steps
Concept
Five launch games, session design, monetization.
Senior Producer, Hipster Whale 2 weeks
Business case
Revenue per player and payback against the build cost.
Sr. Analytics Manager, Commercialization 1 week
Reuse builds
Share code and art with the Reddit and MSN games.
Game Producer, Platform Games 1 month
Design the UX
Game picker, daily challenge, Club login.
Senior UX Designer (Mobile) 1 month
Soft launch
One or two test markets.
Senior Mobile Producer 1 month
Global launch
With store art and a Crossy Road cross-promotion.
Senior Mobile Producer 1 month
Monthly drops
A new classic each month.
Senior Producer, Hipster Whale monthly
First result
2 quarters
Cost
A small studio team for two quarters plus user acquisition
Owner
Senior Producer, Hipster Whale
Smallest test
A playable prototype with three games tested with 1,000 Club members.
Why it works
Risks and how to handle them
Builds on
Evidence
Licensing grew only 19.8% to €2.5 million last year while games grew 67.7% and hardware 82.7%. Atari is one of the world's best-known consumer brands, and its new Industrial Designer is asked to design for "licensed collaborators" too. Licensing is the line with the most headroom and the least data behind it.
High impactHigh effort First result in 2 quarters Head of Licensing
First action
Rank franchises and product types by direct-store merchandise sales.
How to measure it
Licensing revenue growth
Now
–
Target
+40% a year
By
FY2028
Steps
Rank demand
Franchises and product types from store data.
Sr. Analytics Manager, Commercialization 2 weeks
Pick categories
Three categories and regions.
Head of Licensing 1 week
Build the pitch
Demand evidence and Club launch offer.
Head of Licensing 2 weeks
Pitch licensees
Five per category.
Head of Licensing 1 quarter
Co-design
First products with the licensee.
Industrial Designer 1 quarter
Club launch
Members first, then wide release.
CRM Manager per product
Review
Royalties and sell-through.
Director of Commercial quarterly
First result
2 quarters
Cost
Licensing team time and design support
Owner
Head of Licensing
Smallest test
Pitch one licensee in one category with the demand data.
Why it works
Risks and how to handle them
Builds on
Evidence
Atari owns MobyGames, the largest game credits and reviews database, and AtariAge, and runs a Club with about 25,000 Discord members whose Steam and Xbox play is linked. Nobody else can say with data what retro players play, collect and buy.
Medium impactMedium effort First result in 2 quarters Head of Communications
First action
List the questions only Atari's data can answer.
How to measure it
Articles citing the report
Now
–
Target
50
By
60 days after release
Steps
Pick questions
Ten questions only Atari can answer.
Head of Communications 1 week
Pull data
MobyGames, Club and store, aggregated.
Sr. Analytics Manager, Commercialization 1 month
Survey members
Club quest for the survey.
Community Manager 1 month
Write and design
Report and press charts.
Head of Communications 1 month
Release
Press, video and social.
Head of Communications 1 week
Repeat yearly
Same questions for trends.
Head of Communications yearly
First result
2 quarters
Cost
Analyst and design time
Owner
Head of Communications
Smallest test
Publish one chart from MobyGames data as a blog post.
Why it works
Risks and how to handle them
Builds on
Evidence

Wildcards 4

Unexpected experiments, each with a cheap way to test it.

Atari bought the Intellivision brand and games in 2024 to widen distribution of the legacy titles, and it now has a team rebuilding classic arcade games as short-session games for Reddit and MSN, with a mandate to scout new IP for the roster. The Intellivision library is a second catalogue the new pipeline can draw on, with a ready story: Atari versus Intellivision.
Medium impactMedium effort First result in 2 quarters Game Producer
First action
Shortlist Intellivision games that fit a five-minute session.
How to measure it
Revenue per daily player versus Atari classics
Now
–
Target
Within 20%
By
2 quarters
Steps
Shortlist games
Titles that fit short sessions and are cleared for use.
Game Producer, Platform Games 1 week
Clear rights
Confirm what the 2024 purchase covers.
Legal and Licensing 2 weeks
Build three games
Through the platform-games pipeline.
Game Producer, Platform Games 2 months
Design the event
Paired games, shared leaderboard, badges.
Asset Designer, Platform Games 2 weeks
Launch
On Reddit and MSN with press outreach.
Community Manager 2 weeks
Score
On the platform-games scorecard.
Sr. Analytics Manager, Commercialization weekly
First result
2 quarters
Cost
Production of three small games
Owner
Game Producer, Platform Games
Smallest test
Build one Intellivision game and run it beside its Atari counterpart for a month.
Why it works
Risks and how to handle them
Builds on
Evidence
Crossy Road has passed 340 million downloads and has a history of crossover editions (Pac-Man 256 with Bandai Namco, Disney Crossy Road). Atari now owns its maker and more than 400 franchises, including Asteroids, Centipede, Missile Command and Pong, which are instantly recognisable as voxel characters.
High impactMedium effort First result in 2 quarters Senior Producer
First action
Sketch ten Atari characters in Crossy Road style and test them with players.
How to measure it
Click-through from Crossy Road to other Atari games
Now
–
Target
5% of set unlocks
By
2 quarters
Steps
Concept art
Ten characters and one world.
Senior Producer, Hipster Whale 2 weeks
Player test
Appeal with current players.
Senior UX Designer (Mobile) 2 weeks
Build
World, characters and hazards.
Senior Producer, Hipster Whale 2 months
Link out
Each character to its Atari game.
Senior Mobile Producer 2 weeks
Club reward
Points for the full set.
CRM Manager 1 week
Launch and measure
Unlocks and click-through.
Sr. Analytics Manager, Commercialization monthly
First result
2 quarters
Cost
Content production inside an existing game
Owner
Senior Producer, Hipster Whale
Smallest test
Add three Atari characters as a limited event.
Why it works
Risks and how to handle them
Builds on
Evidence
The platform-games team already plans assets for YouTube Playables and Netflix Games alongside Reddit and MSN, and the producer is asked to scout Discord, YouTube Playables and Telegram. Each channel has different players and economics, and spreading every game everywhere at once makes it hard to learn which works.
Medium impactMedium effort First result in 1 quarter Game Producer
First action
Choose the pilot game from the first month of Reddit and MSN data.
How to measure it
New-channel revenue per daily player versus Reddit and MSN average
Now
–
Target
At or above
By
2 quarters
Steps
Pick the game
Best performer on Reddit and MSN.
Game Producer, Platform Games 1 week
Agree terms
Format, revenue and data sharing.
Game Producer, Platform Games 1 month
Adapt assets
To the channel's specs.
Asset Designer, Platform Games 2 weeks
Certify
Platform QA and submission.
QA Engineer, Platform Games 2 weeks
Launch
Single-game pilot.
Game Producer, Platform Games 1 week
Decide
Scale or stop at 60 days.
Director of Commercial 1 day
First result
1 quarter
Cost
Adaptation and QA time
Owner
Game Producer, Platform Games
Smallest test
One game on YouTube Playables for 60 days.
Why it works
Risks and how to handle them
Builds on
Evidence
When we tried to read atari.com on November 3, 2026, the homepage and sitemap returned HTTP 403 and www.atari.com returned 429. The store itself is fast for real visitors (it passes Core Web Vitals), so this is a settings question, not a speed one. If the same rule turns away the readers that power search previews, shopping listings and AI answers, Atari's product pages may be missing when people ask where to buy an Atari console or collector's edition.
Medium impactLow effort First result in 1 month Head of E commerce
First action
Ask search engines' inspection tools to fetch the top product page and check the result.
How to measure it
Top-20 products shown when asked where to buy
Now
–
Target
20 of 20
By
60 days
Steps
Test fetches
Search engine inspection tools on the top pages.
Head of E-commerce 1 day
Review bot rules
Which crawlers are allowed and blocked.
Web Developer 2 days
Write an allow list
Search, shopping and answer engines Atari wants.
Web Developer 1 day
Add structured data
Product, price and availability on product pages.
Web Developer 1 week
Check answers
Ask where to buy the top 20 products.
Head of E-commerce 2 days
Monitor
Monthly checks.
Head of E-commerce monthly
First result
1 month
Cost
Developer time
Owner
Head of E commerce
Smallest test
Check how the top product appears in two AI assistants and a shopping tab today.
Why it works
Risks and how to handle them
Evidence

Other companies we have researched, each read from what they are hiring for.

See every playbook and website review

30/60/90 roadmap

What to focus on in each month, and the ideas that carry it.

Days 1 to 306 ideas
Fix the store's public reputation and order communication, refresh the 2016 mobile listing, give Club points for buying direct, and set up the platform-games scorecard.
Days 31 to 6010 ideas
Connect platform games and Steam to the Club, tighten discounting and bundles, localize store pages, use achievements and MobyGames, and launch quarterly Club collectibles and hardware onboarding.
Days 61 to 907 ideas
Commit to the big bets and wildcards: one classics app from Hipster Whale, a licensing programme led by Club data, the annual retro report, Intellivision on new channels, Crossy Road crossovers, Netflix and YouTube pilots, and machine-readable product pages.

Atari growth playbook

Diagnosis

Claim Atari's unclaimed Trustpilot page, answer the order complaints, and invite every delivered atari.com order to review

Send an order-status email at every step, and show a ship date on every preorder and hardware page

Give Atari Club points for buying direct on atari.com, with double points on preorders

This week 5

How to run it: Claim Atari's unclaimed Trustpilot page, answer the order complaints, and invite every delivered atari.com order to review

Steps

Why it works

Why it works

Ready to use

Risks and how to handle them

Risks and how to handle them

Evidence

Evidence

How to run it: Send an order-status email at every step, and show a ship date on every preorder and hardware page

Steps

Why it works

Why it works

Risks and how to handle them

Risks and how to handle them

Evidence

Evidence

How to run it: Update or retire Breakout: Boost, still on sale on the App Store with no update since 2016

Steps

Why it works

Why it works

Risks and how to handle them

Risks and how to handle them

Evidence

Evidence

How to run it: A weekly scorecard for the new Reddit and MSN games: revenue per daily player, by title and channel

Steps

Why it works

Why it works

Risks and how to handle them

Risks and how to handle them

Evidence

Evidence

How to run it: Give Atari Club points for buying direct on atari.com, with double points on preorders

Steps

Why it works

Why it works

Risks and how to handle them

Risks and how to handle them

Evidence

Evidence

This quarter 11

How to run it: Show duties and taxes before checkout, so international buyers are not surprised at the door

Steps

Why it works

Why it works

Risks and how to handle them

Risks and how to handle them

Builds on

Builds on

Evidence

Evidence

How to run it: Turn players of the new Reddit and MSN arcade games into Atari Club members

Steps

Why it works

Why it works

Risks and how to handle them

Risks and how to handle them

Evidence

Evidence

How to run it: Grow the Steam publisher page from 24,000 followers with every launch, because it announces every future release for free

Steps

Why it works

Why it works

Risks and how to handle them

Risks and how to handle them

Evidence

Evidence

How to run it: Test shallower discounts on the back catalogue, now sold at up to 90% off

Steps

Why it works

Why it works

Risks and how to handle them

Risks and how to handle them